No Manny, no Stewart in lineups

A couple of interesting twists in tonight’s starting lineups. No Manny Ramirez for the Dodgers and no Ian Stewart for the Rockies despite a right-hander on the mound.

No, said Dodgers manager Joe Torre, Ramirez’s uncertain status _ he was claimed on waivers by the White Sox and could be traded by Tuesday _ had nothing to do with him being out of the lineup for a second straight day.

Actually, Torre used more than one no.

“No, no, no, no … not at all,” said Torre, when asked if Ramirez were out of the lineup because of his current residence in career limbo. “This is just my dumb move. No place to hide if we don’t win a game. We won yesterday, guys at the top of the lineup are doing a good job, a big outfield …”

Stewart’s absence, meanwhile, is an injury issue. He strained his right oblique in the batting cage during Friday night’s loss and may miss a few games.

“It’s the kind of thing that can linger, so we’re going to take it easy for a couple of days,” said Stewart.

Patrick, a third-generation Colorado native, is back for his second stint covering the Rockies. He first covered the team from 2005-2009, helping chronicle “Rocktober” in 2007 and also following the team’s playoff run in 2009.

Nick Groke has worked at The Denver Post since 1997, as a sports reporter, city reporter, entertainment writer and digital editor and producer, among other newsroom posts. He also writes regularly about boxing, soccer, MMA and NASCAR.